Japan will oppose a U.S.-backed draft U.N. Security Council resolution to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan, government sources said Wednesday.
Japan is apparently concerned that if the council adopts the resolution, South Sudan will retaliate against U.N. representatives on the ground, including peacekeepers like Ground Self-Defense Force members from Japan, a diplomat close to the negotiations said.
Tokyo's stance comes despite the United States' push for Japan, currently a nonpermanent member of the 15-state U.N. Security Council, to back the resolution to help it reach the minimum threshold of nine votes needed for passage, as the U.S. apparently needs the backing of one more country, other sources close to the negotiations said.